Wines and My top estates

I have a list of good winery which often makes into my must have list in my cellar. Here are the top 5. I will often have one of their vintage in my cellar

1. Sandalford - Sandelara, late harvest
2. Vasse Felix - Hytesbury and also their reds.
3. Woodland - Their top vintage
4. Cullens - Any vintage
5. Gabbin Estate - Verdehlo, sparkling Merlot, Shiraz, basically their black lable wines
6. Voyager- All their vintages are excellent

So if you happen to come to Perth - these will be my Top 6. The others are only so-so. Nothing really spectacular about them. But these 6 estate have wines that really really stand out. It will be a waste not to have them in your cellar.


Here is some wine terms, when you go for some wine tasting.


Appreciating Wine
Make sure you can appreciate wine and know exactly what you’re talking about. Here are some commonly used wine terms with a description of their meaning:

Acidic: Tartness/sourness.
Aroma: Smell of a young wine.
Balance: When sugar, acid and alcohol complement each other.
Body: Weight or fullness of the wine.
Bouquet: Smell of an aged (processed) wine.
Chewy: Wines with a lot of tannin and flavour.
Clean: Wines with no chemical characteristics and direct flavour.
Dry: .0%-.9% residual sugar.
Fat: A heavy wine, can imply richness.
Finish: Last impression of a wine in your mouth.
Jammy: Big, sweetish wines, typically reds.
Legs: Drops that roll down sides of glass when swirled.
Length: The way a good finish can evolve after swallowing.
Must: Grape skins, seeds, stems and juice just after crush.
Nose: Term used for the bouquet and aroma of wine.
Plumy: Big, round, ripe reds.
Smoky: Characteristic associated with heavily oaked wines.
Tannin: Natural compound from skins and stems of grapes.
Varietal: Wine that is labelled with a predominant grape.
Vintage: The year grapes were harvested.
Tasting Terminology

Describing what you taste can be tricky. Make sure you use this list to help you describe the wine you taste:
Floral: Jasmine, Rose, Geranium, Violet
Spicy: Cinnamon, Cloves, Black Pepper, Liquorice, Anise, Mint
Fruity – Citrus: Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange
Fruity – Berry: Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Blackcurrant, Cassis
Fruit – Tree: Cherry, Apricot, Peach, Pear, Apple
Fruit – Tropical: Pineapple, Melon, Banana
Fruit – Dried: Raisin, Prune, Fig
Herbaceous - Fresh: Stemmy, Grass, Capsicum, Eucalyptus
Herbaceous – Dry: Hay, Straw, Tea
Vegetables: Asparagus, Olives, Artichokes
Earthy: Dusty, Mushroom, Concrete
Mouldy: Musty, Mouldy,
Papery: Wet cardboard, Wet paper
Sulphur: Onion, Garlic, Burnt match, Wet Wool, Wet dog
Wood: Vanilla, Pine, Cedar, Oak
Burned: Smoky, Burned Toast,
Caramel: Honey, Butterscotch, Buttery, Chocolate

FOR PAIRING PLEASE READ MY BROTHERS BLOG. I EAT MY BROTHER DRINKS.... so you can say in the family.. one gets fat and one gets drunk. Hoorah !